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Changchun Xu
Verified Expert in Engineering
Cloud Architect and Developer
Richmond Hill, ON, Canada
Toptal member since February 16, 2023
Bio
Changchun is a cloud architect with over 17 years of experience in technical development, consulting, and project delivery in the IoT and telecom fields. Working with multiple clients across various projects enabled him to apply and expand his skills and expertise in infrastructure-as-code and cloud innovation, migration, and optimization, also facilitating training in these domains. Changchun always seeks to meet organizations' goals and leverage the value of their products and services.
Portfolio
Gore Mutual
Azure, Enterprise Architecture, Enterprise Application Architecture, Migration
LYCRA
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Alibaba Cloud, Web Application Firewall (WAF)...
Mary Kay
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Cloud Migration...
Experience
- Online Charging Systems (OCS) - 10 years
- IT Operations Management (ITOM) - 10 years
- IT Consulting - 10 years
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) - 5 years
- Cloud Infrastructure - 5 years
- Cloud Migration - 5 years
- Terraform - 3 years
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC) - 3 years
Work Experience
Cloud Enterprise Architect
2023 - PRESENT
Gore Mutual
- Completed the blueprint design for an Azure landing zone.
- Collaborated with the cloud infrastructure team on a cloud modernization project, engaging in the architectural design and implementation of an Azure landing zone.
- Practiced enterprise governance by enterprise intake review, onboarded applications review, architecture review board members, and new technology innovation.
Technologies: Azure, Enterprise Architecture, Enterprise Application Architecture, Migration
IT Infrastructure | Cloud Architect
2021 - 2022
LYCRA
- Managed the global infrastructure, networking, and security in the AWS and Alibaba public cloud and on-premise environments.
- Served as a subject matter expert and consultant to IT infrastructure and security teams and various support providers and vendors in cloud migration projects. Focused on both lift-and-shift and re-architecture for cloud design.
- Collaborated with business and application analysts and key vendors, such as AWS, on new technical service POCs using AWS Aurora, Lambda, and Transit Gateway, IaC with Terraform, and WAN performance improvement with Zscaler.
- Implemented effective FinOps practices, which included building the billing dashboard based on AWS Cost and Usage Reports (CUR), cost allocation and forecasting, reservation planning, and resource optimization.
- Assumed leadership in well-planned improvements and reviewed existing infrastructure environments based on the best practices related to the 5R principles, which target reliability, security, cost, operation, and performance.
- Played a key role in a digital transformation project, representing the IT infrastructure and security domain to support ICP registration, implementation of the cloud anti-DoS WAF solutions, network access acceleration, and performance monitoring.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Alibaba Cloud, Web Application Firewall (WAF), Network Security, Cloud Infrastructure, IT Operations Management (ITOM), Cost Reduction & Optimization (Cost-down), Terraform, Architecture, MySQL, Amazon EC2, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), AWS IAM, Control & Cost Analysis, CI/CD Pipelines, DevOps, Cloud Design, Migration
Senior Cloud Solution Architect
2020 - 2021
Mary Kay
- Led the cloud migration of APAC-China supply chain systems to AWS and completed the business intelligence and data warehouse migration.
- Researched and introduced new cloud service solutions to improve the existing cloud infrastructure agility, elasticity, and cost efficiency while boosting the engineering culture through a new technology intake process.
- Led the infrastructure team in implementing the infrastructure-as-code evolution via Terraform.
- Constructed and delivered the 2020-2023 cloud service roadmap.
- Reviewed existing systems and delivered an AWS well-architected proposal.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Cloud Migration, Cost Reduction & Optimization (Cost-down), IT Operations Management (ITOM), Networking, Cloud Infrastructure, Terraform, Architecture, Solution Architecture, MySQL, Amazon EC2, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), AWS IAM, Control & Cost Analysis, CI/CD Pipelines, DevOps, Migration
Cloud Solution Architect
2018 - 2020
Bespin Global
- Served as a cloud evangelist introducing public cloud technology, including AWS, Azure, GCP, and Alibaba Cloud.
- Collaborated with the sales team to acquire new clients.
- Offered technical consulting for professional services on the cloud, including cloud migration, big data, DevOps, and cloud-native application development.
- Provided cloud MSP consulting, including ITSM workflow planning, cloud operation SOW and SLA definition, solution monitoring and optimization, and security enhancement.
- Provided pre-sales support for a hybrid multi-cloud management product—OpsNow SaaS and OpsNow Private.
- Contributed to AWS projects for Sony, Omron, Veolia, Porsches, Universal, Trafigura, and Luqel; Azure projects for McDonald's, Fullerton Health, Amor Pacific, and Loreal; and Alibaba Cloud projects for IKEA and CGV.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Alibaba Cloud, Azure, Azure DevOps, Big Data, Cloud Migration, IT Operations Management (ITOM), IT Consulting, Architecture, Solution Architecture, MySQL, Amazon EC2, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)
Solution Architect
2011 - 2018
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
- Communicated effectively with customers, such as Rogers Canada and China Mobile, to understand their requirements, provide customized solutions, and assess the respective implementation.
- Led offshore and onsite delivery teams in project implementation, collaborating with cross-functional teams and liaising with external vendors.
- Handled Rogers' solution engineering and customization. Provided onsite support, worked with the local team to offer billing solutions based on HPE products, coordinated resources, and managed the project delivery progress, risk, and training.
- Provided technical consulting on eSIM solution-based HPE products for China Mobile. I also led system integration with watch device vendors like Apple and Huawei, card vendors such asOberthur, G&D, and Huahong, and the China Mobile BOSS system.
Technologies: Telecom Business Support Systems (BSS), eSIM, HP IUM, 3GPP, Java, Oracle, Solution Architecture, MySQL
Tech Support Specialist
2009 - 2011
EMC
- Provided tech support and solutions for EMC global customers on Avamar's backup and recovery product.
- Worked closely with product teams to troubleshoot and resolve complex issues while fostering strong customer relationships.
- Demonstrated initiative in identifying and improving product performance in critical areas.
Technologies: EMC Avamar, Linux, Storage
Software Engineer & Delivery Engineer
2004 - 2009
HP
- Investigated and analyzed business requirements and processed documents' high- and low-level designs.
- Developed various projects using HP IUM, Java, Oracle, Jakarta EE, WebService, HP Service Guard, HP Data Protector, open-source resources—iPm workflow tools, Jasper Report, and JFreechart—and other technologies.
- Delivered multiple projects, including the Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Anhui telecom online charging system (OCS) and the Shanghai Mobile Internet Data Center (SHMIDC) inventory management system.
- Provided onsite training and technical support after the go-live.
Technologies: Java, Oracle, HP IUM, Open Source, HP Data Protector, Telecom Business Support Systems (BSS), Online Charging Systems (OCS), MySQL
Project History
Supply Chain BI Cloud Migration
This project aimed to migrate BI from on-premise to AWS by the end of 2020 when the Sun Solaris server's warranty expired and the data center decommissioned.
Before cloud migration, DataStage and Cognos would take the major version upgrade, and DataStage and Oracle Database would process a re-platform from Sun Solaris to Linux; those two were prerequisites for the migration process.
Before cloud migration, DataStage and Cognos would take the major version upgrade, and DataStage and Oracle Database would process a re-platform from Sun Solaris to Linux; those two were prerequisites for the migration process.
Cloud Intake for AWS Spot Instance and Management Tool
I investigated the AWS spot instance and management tool for cost optimization. It involved:
1. Deeply understanding the AWS spot instance function
2. Verifying the management platform function for Mary Kay's EC2 suitable scenario
3. Checking the possibility of replacing the on-demand stateless EC2 with the AWS spot instance
4. Checking the possibility of partly replacing EKS with spot instance (phase II)
5. Preparing the solution for other AWS services such as EMR (phase III)
1. Deeply understanding the AWS spot instance function
2. Verifying the management platform function for Mary Kay's EC2 suitable scenario
3. Checking the possibility of replacing the on-demand stateless EC2 with the AWS spot instance
4. Checking the possibility of partly replacing EKS with spot instance (phase II)
5. Preparing the solution for other AWS services such as EMR (phase III)
Cloud Intake for Amazon Aurora Babelfish to Replace Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft SQL server is widely used in the legacy environment and is very powerful but expensive. Babelfish for Amazon Aurora extends the AWS Aurora PostgreSQL-compatible database to accept database connections from Microsoft SQL Server clients. This allows applications initially built for Microsoft SQL Server to work directly with Aurora PostgreSQL with few code changes when compared to a traditional migration and without changing database drivers.
The purpose of the Amazon Aurora Babelfish POC was to compare and validate the AWS Aurora PostgreSQL with Babelfish feature from multiple perspectives, providing the reference for the cloud database selection of Microsoft SQL Server.
The purpose of the Amazon Aurora Babelfish POC was to compare and validate the AWS Aurora PostgreSQL with Babelfish feature from multiple perspectives, providing the reference for the cloud database selection of Microsoft SQL Server.
Rogers Canada Billing Credit Control for Data Services
HP IUM and SNAP offer industry-leading products for building policy and charging solutions to address telecom customers' business needs in the fast-growing 3G and 4G/LTE network and the blooming innovative services and applications. My contribution to the project involved the following:
1. Working onsite to analyze customer requirements and providing the related solution
2. Leading off-shore and on-site delivery teams to implement the project
3. Delivering training and on-site support
1. Working onsite to analyze customer requirements and providing the related solution
2. Leading off-shore and on-site delivery teams to implement the project
3. Delivering training and on-site support
China Mobile eSIM SM-DP+
China Mobile planned to go live with the number-sharing business, which needed eSIM server integration. During the project, I provided technical consulting on eSIM solution-based HPE products. I also led the system integration with watch device vendors like Apple and Huawei, card vendors such as Oberthur, G&D, and Huahong, and the China Mobile BOSS system.
Education
2001 - 2005
Bachelor's Degree in Software Engineering
Tongji University - Shanghai, China
Certifications
JANUARY 2023 - JANUARY 2026
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
JUNE 2019 - DECEMBER 2023
Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
Microsoft
DECEMBER 2018 - DECEMBER 2021
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
SEPTEMBER 2018 - SEPTEMBER 2020
Google Cloud Professional – Cloud Architect
Google Cloud
AUGUST 2018 - AUGUST 2020
Alibaba Cloud Certified Professional
Alibaba Cloud
MARCH 2013 - MARCH 2025
Project Management Professional (PMP)
PMI
Skills
Tools
EMC Avamar, Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), AWS IAM, Terraform, IBM Cognos
Paradigms
DevOps, Azure DevOps, Enterprise Application Architecture
Platforms
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon EC2, Azure, Linux, Oracle, Jakarta EE (Java EE or J2EE)
Storage
Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Alibaba Cloud, Databases, MySQL, HP Data Protector, Google Cloud, Datastage
Languages
Java
Other
Cloud Infrastructure, IT Operations Management (ITOM), Cost Reduction & Optimization (Cost-down), Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Cloud Migration, IT Consulting, Telecom Business Support Systems (BSS), HP IUM, Online Charging Systems (OCS), AWS Cloud Architecture, Architecture, Solution Architecture, Cloud Architecture, Control & Cost Analysis, CI/CD Pipelines, AWS Certified Solution Architect, AWS DevOps, Migration, Network Security, Networking, eSIM, 3GPP, Open Source, IT Project Management, Amazon RDS, Amazon Route 53, Software Engineering, Web Application Firewall (WAF), Big Data, Storage, IBM Cognos Dynamic Cubes, AWS Database Migration Service (DMS), 4G, Enterprise Architecture, Cloud Design
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